Monday’s circle began, as it always does, with a weekend update — what did you get up to this weekend — and a second question: what did you do to compete with the best and brightest? I prefaced this by talking about the potential I see in all of them and how I want them to someday be their best selves.

I wanted to highlight the fact that they are competing against children who spend far more time reading, writing, and thinking about their schoolwork. This is a hard one to do in circle: I didn’t want to produce automatic adolescent us vs. them stuff but I also didn’t want anyone believing that they’ve made it already. The intense, relationship based culture of our school allows us to see the immense potential of all students. Potential is just potential, though, and nothing’s sadder than when it goes unrealized.

It’s about creating the situation where you realize you need to work harder.

(Also, I’ve not forgotten how the so-called best and the brightest made a hash out of a war. )